Madrid has hosted the World Congress of the World Conference of Secular Institutes, bringing together 240 delegates from 42 countries for the first time in Spain.
The international gathering assembled 240 participants representing 71 distinct secular institutes. Held under the motto of being in the heart of the world as a prophecy of hope, the congress focused on the mission of lay consecrated Catholics in contemporary society.
Speaking on the radio program La Linterna de la Iglesia, hosted by Irene Pozo, Carolina Sánchez detailed the purpose and spiritual foundation of secular institutes. Sánchez serves as the president of the Spanish Conference of Secular Institutes, known as CEDIS.
Sánchez described secular institutes as a stroke of genius of the Holy Spirit, noting that their formal recognition by the Catholic Church took place on February 2, 1947. In Catholic canon law, secular institutes allow believers to dedicate their lives to God through consecrated vows while remaining fully integrated in secular professions and ordinary society, rather than living in enclosed religious communities.
Consecrated Life in Civil Society
This form of consecration emerged to maintain a Christian evangelical presence within civil and professional life. Sánchez highlighted that members wear no visible external symbols or distinctive clothing, explaining that their everyday lives must first provoke questions from others.
Sánchez referenced the teachings of Saint Paul VI regarding the synthesis between religious consecration and secular life. She stated that members of secular institutes are consecrated lay people who take traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience while remaining completely immersed in their daily jobs and social relationships.
In the face of contemporary challenges such as loneliness and social uncertainty, Sánchez emphasized the importance of remaining within temporal societal structures. She stressed that dialogue with the world is not optional for members, but a fundamental mission to act as leaven in transforming social structures and opening paths toward greater humanity.
Papal Encouragement and Generational Renewal
The congress, which ran from August 18 to August 20, received a special message from the Pope. The pontiff encouraged participants to live out their specific vocation with creative fidelity, urging them to serve as seed and leaven by providing evangelical witness across professional, cultural, and social spheres.
When asked by program host Irene Pozo about generational renewal within the movement, Sánchez confirmed that young people continue to discover and choose this path. She acknowledged that while attracting new vocations is more complex within Europe, the vocation retains its full relevance because it directly answers fundamental human needs.
National Figures and Four-Year Guidelines
At the national level across Spain, the Spanish Conference of Secular Institutes encompasses 40 individual institutes and nearly 1,900 members. CEDIS coordinates national activities and supports the spiritual and professional development of lay consecrated individuals throughout the country.
The national organization is currently implementing a three-year plan centered on anthological and philosophical reflection. The initiative seeks to address human identity as a created, filial, and relational entity when confronting contemporary secular ideologies.
Following the conclusion of the congress, participating representatives initiated their general assembly to establish working guidelines for the next four years. Sánchez concluded by recalling that the Church calls on members to act as receiving antennas for the cries of the world, channeling those realities back to the wider church community as an experimental laboratory.
